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And they both see it in each other.
“Dad?” slides off Scarlett’s lips as she stands there in shock.
“Scarlett, meet your father…the legendary Miami artist Jack Sharp.”
Seconds later Jack is on us, wrapping his arms around a stunned Scarlett who collapses into him.
And then faints.
12
Scarlett
Apparently I was only out for a second, and Silas and Jack both had a hold of me so I didn’t fall or anything close to it.
Five minutes later I’m sitting at a beautiful little circular iron French table in the backyard, both men not more than a couple feet from me.
And I’m still in shock.
“Most of that area we visited earlier today has been gentrified, but I convinced the city that some of the old graffiti in the area should be designated as historic landmarks, and with a little prodding, and a lot of money,” he laughs, “they complied.”
All I can do is nod as I continue to stare at ‘dad’ and he does the same.
“Your dad was very hard on himself Scarlett, but in a belittling way,” he continues as if my dad isn’t sitting right here with us.
“It’s true,” dad says, making me feel a bit more comfortable. “I needed a heavy hand to convince me that my self-talk was more important than anything else. But the truth of the matter is when your mom was pregnant I was so damn happy that I thought I didn’t need it anymore, so I quit practicing my affirmations. And then…she left with you, or at least you were inside her belly, and my whole world fell apart.”
“It was a tough time, and we’ve never really gotten past it, have we?”
Dad just shakes his head. “I still work, but it’s not the same. But now…in this moment…I already feel everything changing.”
He reaches out and places his hand on the table palm up.
I can’t take my eyes off him. His gentleness, his kindness, the way he resembles me so much, or technically the way I resemble him.
I place my palm in his, continuing to take it all in as I ask, “How did you know, Silas?”
“I’m constantly on the lookout for new talent, but not just talented artists. I need people that have stories, history, things that clients and advertisers want to hear. Something that makes them stop and take notice in this busy world we live in.” He pauses. “When the temp agency said they had a new young girl in town, it wasn’t anything new. But when they told me how old you were and that you drove all night from four states I knew you weren’t another kid from Julliard or a top design school. I always hoped you’d come to Miami, so I’ve been on the lookout all these years, but to be honest a lot of time had passed and I wasn’t sure if your mother was ever going to give you enough information to put the puzzle pieces together. And despite a lot of money that we threw at private investigators, we were never able to track down your mom, and therefore you.”
“Make sense, as she pretty much lived off the grid and traded her art for cash. That and we jumped from place to place, and not exactly the kind that asks you to fill out an application to rent.”
“Exactly. And that’s why this had to come from your side. We just hoped she wouldn’t say enough things to make you not want to search out your dad.”
“I was always looking,” I say, squeezing dad’s hand tighter. “It’s the ultimate unanswered question that I needed answered, but I never expected…”
“I’ll be inside,” Silas says, excusing himself and giving dad and I time to…I’m not even sure what.
“It’s really you,” dad says, his eyes watering.
“And it’s really you,” I parrot, a tear streaming down my cheek.
“I can’t believe you found me…after all these years.”
“I can’t believe we found…each other.”
“I knew Silas would come through,” dad says. “He’s a pain in the ass, but that’s exactly what I need. He was the only one who never quit on me when the doctors said I was crazy.”
“Are you…?”
